Progressive Politics from Memphis

Bush Dog – TN-06 Bart Gordon

Note: This post is in response to, and support of the “Bush Dog” project at Open Left. This, like all the other profiles, is a work in progress. If you have any insight or information to add to this profile, please do so in the comments.

Bart Gordon, TN-06 is the senior member of the Tennessee Congressional delegation. First elected in 1984, Gordon has seen little primary or general election competition since redistricting in 2000, winning by devastating margins. Gordon, like other Tennessee Democrats holds conservative positions on issues such as abortion, gay marriage, and gun control. Unlike the others he also favors eliminating the Estate Tax and making the Bush Tax cuts permanent. His positions fall more in line with traditional Democratic values on issues such as Education, Healthcare and Social Security. Gordon as chair of the House Science and Technology committee also favors “net-neutrality”.

Gordon is a member of the Blue Dogs. He votes with the Democratic Party 92.7% of the time. That number is deceptive because Gordon has voted against the party twice on key votes in the 110th Congress, and 12 times on key votes in the 109th. He has a PPI of 69.45. Gordon is the Chair of the Science and Technology committee and also serves on the Energy and Commerce committee. 51% of his fundraising comes from PAC’s and 71% of that comes from business. He is one of the most well funded members of the Tennessee delegation with over $746K cash on hand.

No candidate has announced in either the primary or general against him as of this writing. Additionally, all past candidates have issued termination papers of their campaigns.

Tennessee’s 6th district is located to the north and east of Nashville. It is a largely rural district comprised of 15 total and partial counties. The two largest cities in the district are Hendersonville (40,000) just northeast of Nashville, and Murfreesboro (92,000) to the southeast of Nashville. In 2004, Bush carried the district by 10 points. In 2000, Gore lost by a fraction of a point (3k votes) The Cook Political Report lists TN-06 with a R+3.8.